Road trip to Horne Arena on deck, C-N heads to Lander
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Two early season unbeatens collide when Carson-Newman (2-0) heads to South Carolina to take on Lander (2-0) Saturday from Finis Horne Arena at 2 p.m.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
43 | 31 | 74 |
|
|
30 | 31 | 61 |
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Two early season unbeatens collide when Carson-Newman (2-0) heads to South Carolina to take on Lander (2-0) Saturday from Finis Horne Arena at 2 p.m.
Lander is angling for its first 3-0 start since 2022-23, while Carson-Newman is looking for its second 3-0 start in the last three years.
Headed into the seventh all-time meeting, the series between C-N and LU is deadlocked at three apiece.
The home team has won one game in the series Lander's 81-72 win in Finis Horne Arena in 2023. The Bearcats are 2-0 inside Holt Fieldhouse. The Eagles are 1-1 inside Horne Arena. The other two meetings were at neutral venues as a part of a Conference Challenge.
Carson-Newman has won seven straight non-conference games dating back to last season's opening contest against Lake Superior State.
The Eagles are 3-4 this decade against the Peach Belt Conference. Lander and Columbus State account for all the losses, whule Clayton State and North Georgia represent all the wins.
In spite of losing seven seniors and 5,200 career points from last year's roster, Carson-Newman's offense clicked into gear quickly on opening weekend. C-N, last year's NCAA statistical champion for field goal efficiency, started the year averaging 103 points per game (fourth in NCAA DII, first in the SAC) on 55.9 percent shooting (sixth in NCAA DII, first in the SAC). Carson-Newman averaged 24.5 assists per game in its two contests (second in NCAA II, first in the SAC).
That pace will probably slow against Lander. The Bearcats are 31st nationally in field goal percentage defense (37.8 percent) and average seven blocks per game (sixth nationally).
Lander was picked to finish fifth in the newly-expanded 11-team Peach Belt Conference. The Bearcats received 61 points in the poll that was voted on by conference head coaches. They tied with Columbus State. Carson-Newman is due to face the league's preseason favorite North Georgia Tuesday and fourth-place favorite Augusta in a week.
Jack Browder enters the weekend on 1,403 career points. He is 21st all-time in Carson-Newman history in scoring. The top 20 is nine points away. Former teammate John Zhao has 1,412 career points and presently sits in 20th.
Carson-Newman's bench scored 70 points in its first two games of the season. The Eagles non-starters accounted for 332 points all last season. Carson-Newman is more than a fifth of the way to bench's scoring output last season. Oli Smith scored 22 points off the bench in the opener against King, the first player to come off the bench and score 20 or more since Ren Dyer's 20-point night against Lincoln Memorial on Jan. 31, 2024. There have been seven 20-point nights off the bench since 2022.
Tipoff Saturday is set for 2 p.m. Coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 1:45 with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Mix 105.5 (WSEV-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live. Fans can also view a courtside cam of the Eagle Sports Network broadcasting on press row on YouTube.
Team Stats
Lander
| Game Statistics | RV Carson-Newman | Lander |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (27-59) | (25-70) |
| Field Goal % | 45.8% | 35.7% |
| Rebounds | 43 | 39 |
| Assists | 15 | 11 |
| Turnovers | 11 | 9 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 15 | 6 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 11 | 5 |
| Pts in the Paint | 34 | 34 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 14 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 13 | 16 |
